How Putnam City’s Ron Tatum got comfortable in his own skin
WARR ACRES — The first time Ron Tatum walked into a classroom at Putnam City, he knew things were different.
Back in Kingfisher, most of his classes had about 12 people in them.
But as he walked through the door to Geometry in January 2016, at least 23 sets of eyes looked back at him.
He was definitely not in Kingfisher anymore.
“It was hard at first because I was used to small town environment,” Tatum said.
It was a move from a 3A school to a 6A-II, from rural living to city suburbs.
For Tatum, who lived in Kingfisher until fall 2015, when he went to Putnam City North for a semester, it wasn’t any easy adjustment. “Everybody knew everybody because the town was so small,” Tatum said of Kingfisher. “(When I moved) I saw different people every day probably the whole year.”
Once he played a season of basketball and football, Tatum began settling into his new surroundings.
He had a breakout football season as a defensive end, garnering offers from programs all over the country as his recruiting stock shot up. The Rivals four-star prospect capped off a standout season by committing to Texas, choosing the Longhorns over Oklahoma.
But something still wasn’t right.
Tatum still just didn’t feel comfortable in his own skin. He had friends on the team, but he was still pretty quiet.
“He’s a ball hog on the court,” said Eric Butler, who became friends with Tatum through basketball. “He wasn’t shy on the court, but in person, he really didn’t talk to anyone.”
All of that changed on June 12 when Tatum, ranked No. 3 in The Oklahoman’s Super 30, called up OU coach Lincoln Riley with some news.
He was changing his commitment, flipping from Austin, Texas, to Norman.
Instantly, his shell began to crack.
“From going to Kingfisher, then PC North and then PCO, going straight to Texas, that’s a big jump because he doesn’t have any family or friends there,” Butler said. “But now that he’s meeting people in Oklahoma and people who are going to OU, he’s having a blast and he actually can enjoy life now.”
Butler’s not the only one who’s noticed a difference. For the last month, Tatum’s been working out with Butler at former Sooner J.D. Runnels’ gym in Choctaw. Runnels has known Tatum for a couple years, mostly seeing him at camps around the area.
Once Tatum flipped to Runnels’ alma mater, he saw an immediate change in the high schooler.
“I feel like I’ve known two sides of him: before he committed and then after,” Runnels said. “Before he committed, it seemed like there were a lot of different emotions a lot of different places. And now it just seems like there’s one emotion. There’s one, just getting better, just working on himself, focusing on his close friends and family. It seems like there’s a comfort level within him and I think that’s huge for a lot of athletes, to be able to put recruiting past you.”
With Tatum at peace with his future, he’s looking forward to his senior year — one that might even include working out with the track team to improve his agility and speed.
The quiet Ron Tatum that had to ease into the big stage at Putnam City is gone, replaced with a more confident player and person.
“He’s aggressive now,” Butler said. “He thinks he’s a big dog.”